Safety hand starter for gas engines



May 23,v 1933. s. RIDDEL SAFETY HAND STARTER FOR GAS ENGINES Filed'Nov. 9, 1929 INVENTOR rrad E1ddll Il n fj @L ige/fwn@ ATTORNEY Patented May 23, 1,933

UNITED STATES PATENT f OFFICE summon RIDDEL, or SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS, `.A ssIGfNoIt` oF ONE-HALF To EDGAR .sPAULDINen oF SPRINGFIELD; ILLINOIS SAFETY HAND STARTER EoaeAs ENGINES" Appncation sied November 9, 1929.` lserieu No. 405,942.

wrists of many operators and caused other injuries. My invention will avoid all these disadvantages and effectively protect the operator against injury if the engine starts in the wrong direction by simple and therefore inexpensive devices which may be readily apj. plied to any car without the necessity of ma- `terial changes therein.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a device of this character which is durable and eflicient in operation.

With these ends in view` I provide a starter with means for automatically disenga ing the starting lever from the starter sha t as soon as the engine is started in the wrong direction and reverse rotation occurs.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will become more fully known as the description proceeds, and will then be specifically dened in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing, forming a s j, material part of this disclosure: als" Fig. 1 isa sectional plan view of an engine starter constructed according to my inven-` tion.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof at aright j l angle to the showing in Figure 1.

i Fig. 3 illustrates the starter used with electric engine starting devices.

`Fig. 4 isa fragmentary sectional detail view through the crank operated bevel gear T. and ratchet.

As illustrated, a frame 10 with which is connected by means of bolts 10 or thelike passing through a conventional starter brack-` et 11 :attached to the crank case of the engine, al bracket 11 `in which the one end of 50 a shaft 12 is journaled carrying at its lower end a bevelgear 13 in mesh with a bevel gear 14 on a shaft` 1,5.

" Shaft l2`carriesfa starter worm 16 "held on part ofshaft 15 and fiXedly secured thereto."A A lever" 21 is movablyjfarranged on 'shafts 15 andy'carries a pawl 22 andiisl held against ratchet-2O by means `of1 a spring23.`

`Near its inner end shaft 15 carries a ratchet 24 engaged` by a! pawl 25 which allows 'a "rotation of the ratchet 24in one direction only, and pawls" 22 and`25are held in engagement with ratchets 2O and24frespectively by con@ ventional springs. l f l The device operates las follows:` .j Whenitfis desired o start the ,engine,the crank lever`2l, ratchet 2Q and its bevel gfearlfV are turned bytheintermediary`of"`pawl 22 andbevel gear 13A inmesh with gear 14 will be rotated and rotate shaft 12. j j The rotationV of shaft 12 bythe intermedi-` ary ofgear18infinesli witlriiywheel ring gear ,119r ,will crank "the engine starter shaft. Ifthe engine starts in the proper direction "of rotation,`ge`ar18` is screwed out of` mesh with thebflywheel ,f gfearl) inthe conventional'man# ner.` v f If* however, Athe enginefbackfires or starts in the rdirection i shaft A12 and bevel will be turned ina direction opposite meermalen@ gerne will also. bereversed, lethet- Perl. 251.011 eeoimtx f ,t.S,[1igage`- meet with the teeth `f ratehet 24 will. VPref vent ratchet "24 frorrrturningAV in the-wrong directionand thus also preventfshaft 15 frorn"`tiirning in` tliewrong l direction, ratchet: gear bevel gear 14;.Will be moved outwardlalonglthe,threads on shaft 15 until gearll becomes disengagedfrom bevel gearll and further `rotation of lever will be preventedleven `shaft 12 'eXe` cutesm several revolutions. 1 Spring `23A` will holfdglever121 securely in place toallovvwan` o'perationof` ratchet20 and bevel gear 14. f

"It will be clearthat myfdevice may be de`- signed to replace a standard electric motor ion starter or it may be designed as a substitute for a conventional hand crank.

It will be understood that I have described and shown the preferred form of my device only as one example of the many possible ways to practically construct the same, and that I mayumake'such changes in its general arrangement and in the construction of the minor details thereof as come within the scope of the appended claims without Y'departure from the spirit of my invention and the principles involved.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In a'hand starter for internal combustion engines, a main shaft, a bevel gear at one end of said shaft, anV auxiliary shaft, a bevel gear on said auxiliary shaft in mesh with the bevel gear on the main shaft, a lever on said auxiliary shaft, a threaded part on said auxiliary shaft, a ratchet gear on .said auxiliary shaft integral with the bevel gear on the same, a pawl'on said lever in engagement with said ratchet gear,a spring` wound about said auxiliary shaft for normally holding said lever in engagement with said ratchet gear to allow a cranking of the engine, a second ratchet gear in engagement with the threaded part of said auxiliary shaft, and a means cooperating with said second ratchet gear for locking said auxiliary shaft against reverse rotation the locking action effecting a longitudinal movement of said integral ratchet and bevel gear` on the threaded part ofthe auxiliary shaft,adapted .to separate the bevelgearson themain shaft and the auxiliary shaft vto prevent rotation of the crank in the reverse direction upon the oc currenceof back fire in the engine.A

2. In a cranking` device for the shafts of internal combustion engines, a main shaft, a bevel gear at one end of said main shaft, an auxiliary shaft, a Vbevel gear on said auxiliary shaft normally in mesh with said bevel gear on the main shaft a lever on said auxiliary shaft, a ratchet wheel on said auxiliary shaft integral with the bevel gear on said shaft, Aa second ratchet on said auxiliary shaft, a. pawl in engagement with said second ratchet to permit its 'rotation in one direction only, a worm on the partof the auxiliary shaft carrying the integral ratchet and Y bevel gears, anda spring wound Vabout another part of the auxiliary shaft for normal ly holding said lever in' engagement with said ratchet wheel on the auxiliary shaft, whereby said second ratchet, cooperating with its pawl, is effective to lock said auxiliary shaft against reverse rotation and said locking action is effective to cause separation of th-e bevel gears on the main and the auxiliary shafts, said bevel and ratchetrgear moving longitudinally along saidlau'xiliary shaft away fromthemain shaft. y A

SHERROD RIDDEL. 

